Rail tie and brace.



I To alliwhom t mag/concern:

I the rail-flange.

j No. 815,059.

UNITED. STATES.

PATENT opinion.

Specification of IiettersPatent.

" y Patented March 13, 1906.

Ap'liicaeon ned coaster 5,1905. sel-iai No. 281.495.

Be it known that I, NED E. BARNES, a ciav zenV of the UnitedStates, residing at Willis, in the county'of Montgomery and State of Texas, have invented new and'usefullmprovements in Rail Ties and Braces, of` which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railv ties and braces, and has for its object to provide a simple, durable,l and inexpensive construction lof brace for couplingv the opposite rails of the road-beds of railways to prevent the railsk 'from yielding unduly under lateral strain and s reading, while permitting the, rails'to be re atively adjusted as occasion requires, and, further, to provide a simple and eective `shield for housing the connecting elements of the brace members from accidental injury and from rusting or deteriorating under the actionof the elements.4

In the accompanying drawings and forming apart of this specification, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a section of a road-bed, showing the rails connected by my improved tie and brace. taken on line 2 2 of Fig.l 1. Fig. 3 isa crosssection taken online 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring nowniore particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the ties,

and 2 and 3 the opposite structure.

VThe ties and braces constructed in accordance with my invention connect the rails at rails of a rail-track suitable distances apart and are used wher-- ever excessive lateral strain falls uponthe rails, particularly atv curves, and each tie or brace comprises a pair of brace-bars 4 and 5,

extending at their outer ends beneath the bases of the rails and having hooked terminals or clamps 6 engaging the outer sides of the webs and flanges of the rails. Each brace-bar is clamped to the adjacent rail by 'a clamping-bolt 7, which engages the .inner side of the'baseflange of the'rail and has its threaded shank projecting downward through an opening 8 in the bar and provided upon the under side thereof with a clamping-nut and washer 9. The shank and opening 8 may be of rectangular form to prevent the clamp in practice from having axial movement and shifting out of engagement with The bars 4 and 5 are connected by intermediate coupling members 10 and 11 and a tie-bolt 12. 'The coupling membersV 10 and 11 are preferably of bail form and at their Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section open ends receive the inner ends ofthe bracebars and are secured thereto by bolts 13. The heads or connecting members '14, which unite the inner ends of the arms of each bail, are apertured for the passage of the bolt 12, the head of-which bears against the art 14 of one bail, while the threaded shan thereof extends through the corresponding threaded part 14 of the other bail and has applied'thereto a nut-15, whereby the parts may be drawn together and tightened to the desired tension. This action is permitted upon the applicationof a wrench or other suitabletool to the shankv of the bolt by reason of the fact that circular form, is arranged to have free rotary movement in the bail 10. Washers 16 may be applied between the parts 14 of the bails and the bolt-head and nut, if desired, and it Will be seen that thef construction described will permit the rails to be adjusted relatively toeaeh other when occasion requires and will preventthem from having an excess of movement under .lateral strain and spreading.` If desired, the bolts 13 may loosely.

connect the bails or yokes' 10 and 11 with the brace-bars 4 and 5 to form pivotal connections,which will permit the brace members to yield vertically with the rails, and thus allow the railsto have the desired resiliency.

'In connection with the brace and tie I .provide a simple form of housing comprising an inverted substantially U-shaped shield 17,

of sufficient `length'to cover the inner ends of the brace-bars and coupling members connecting them. The top portion of this shield rests upon the.v upper. edges of the bails vor yokes 10 and 11, while the side flan es thereof project downward onopposite si es of the coupling members, and thereby shield the same from the access of snow, rain, and other matter which are liable to cause rust or deterioration of the parts and. weaken the connection. This shield isheld in position by a pin 18 passing transversely through central openings in the side flanges thereof and lyingl beneath the bolt 12, so that the latter will act as a sto One en of the pin is headed to bear against one of the side iian es, ywhile the other end thereof is aperture for the reception of a suitable key or cotter-pin to retain it in position.

The ties and braces are preferably arranged inpractice, as shown, between the adjacent ties of the road beds, and the mode of the head of thebolt, which is preferably of IOO to hold the shield from movement. v

j mounting the shield permits of its ready disconnection to enable the ties and braces to be readily applied, removed, and adjusted as occasion demands.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. A rail tie and brace comprising bracearms having clamps to engage the rails, and an intermediate adjustable coupling, said brace-arms being pivotally connected with the coupling to permit them to have limited vertical play with the rails.

2. A rail tie and brace comprising bracebars having clamps to engage the rails, bailshaped coupling members attached to the bars, and an adjustable coupling connection between said bail-shaped members.

3. A rail tie and brace comprising bracebars provided with means of attachment to the rails, and an adjustable pivotal connection between the bars.

el.y A rail tie and brace comprising bracebars provided with means of attachment to the rails, bail-shaped coupling members connected with the inner ends of the bars", and a coupling-bolt adjustably connecting said coupling members.

5. A rail tie and brace comprising bracebars provided with means of attachment to the rails, a coupling connection between said bars, and a shield or housing covering the coupling connection.

6. A rail tie and brace comprising bracebars provided with means of attachment to the rails7 a coupling connection between said bars, an inverted-U-shaped shield or housing covering the coupling connection, and a fastening member engaging the shield and coupling connection to secure the shield in place.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of witnesses.

NED E. BARNES.

Witnesses:

J. T. RUoKs, B. E. MONTGOMERY. H. H. ROBERTS. 

